Tag: authors

9 in ’09 with Sherryl Woods

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This week I have the New Times Bestselling Author Sherryl Woods answering nine questions.  She writes wonderful romances and has a great website with a blog that covers some really fun topics.  You can visit her website here.  And she also happens to be a part-time neighbor and full-time friend to my Aunt Carol in Colonial Beach, Virginia.

1. You have written over 100 romance and mystery novels.  What is your secret for staying so productive after all these years?

I think my journalism background has been a huge influence on my ability to keep coming up with stories.  I’m always looking around at the world and wondering why this happened or what would change if somebody did this, instead of that.  As Mary Higgins Clark once put it, I spend a lot of time asking what if…?

2. You are my second featured author who earned a journalism degree from Ohio State (Go Bucks!).  Do you think aspiring authors should go to college or are there other avenues that can be just as helpful?

I don’t think college is ever a mistake.  However I certainly don’t think it’s necessary to have a degree in creative writing.  Lots of writers I know have wildly different backgrounds, everything from mine in journalism to drama and law.

3. When you first started your writing career you used a few different pseudonyms before using your real name.  Why did you decide to use one and why did you stop?

I was barely out of my newspaper job when I sold my first books and friends (mistakenly I now know) thought I should preserve my “real” name for “serious” writing.  When I went with my agent, she advised me to use my own name and stick with it, so I could build an identity as an author…and no publisher could ever let others use the name, which can happen if you’re not careful with pseudonyms.

4. It has always been a dream of mine to own my own bookstore and you actually did it!  What were the best and worst aspects of owning your own bookstore and would you recommend it to others, like me?

The ten years I spent owning a bookstore were absolutely wonderful in many respects.  I loved getting to read catalogues, order books and open the boxes every week.  Even better was getting to talk about books with my customers.  It was a book lover’s dream.  However, it was also so demanding, especially with a writing career, that I almost never had a chance to actually read.  And in this economic environment with even the big chains having difficulties, I don’t know that I’d try it unless the circumstances in your community are just right…meaning no major competition for miles and miles.

5. Who are your favorite authors?

I have a slew of them in many genres.  I love Carla Neggers’ romantic suspense, Heather Grahams’ suspense novels, Jayne Ann Krentz (and her Amanda Quick persona), Susan Wiggs, Nelson DeMille, Joan Mendicott, Jan Karon, Dorothea Benton Franks, just for starters.

6. I love quotes.  Do you have a favorite? 

No, not really.

7. What are you currently reading?

Maeve Binchy’s Heart and Soul.  She’s another of my favorites.

8.  If you were trapped in the life of one fictional character, who would you choose?

Just about any female in a book that has a happy ending.

9. And finally, what is your current project?

I’m now writing three more Sweet Magnolias books, beginning with a much-requested story for Ty and Annie.  I’m so delighted by reader enthusiasm for this series.  Writing more is like getting to visit with old friends.  These are scheduled to come out back-to-back in spring 2010.

Thank you so much for stopping by, Sherryl!

9 in ’09 with Laurie Dean

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Laurie is the author of the children’s book Baron Thinks Dogs are People Too (reviewed here).  Visit Baron’s fun website for interactive games and a special offer –  order the book before April 30th and it will be shipped FREE.  http://www.baronthinks.com/  You can also follow Laurie on Twitter (handyauthor).

1. Baron is adorable!  Is there a real Baron?

Baron is a fictional character.  His disposition is a composite from my recollections of behaviors and ‘personalities’ that various dogs from my childhood exhibited.  We lived on a dead end street in an unincorporated part of town.  At the very end of the street, past the last house, was a large woodland area.  Back then, in the 1960’s and 70’s, it was common for people to drive to the woods and drop off unwanted litters of puppies and kittens.  Sadly, they would be abandoned there to fend for themselves.  My siblings and I often played among the trees, whereupon, we would discover the baby animals and take them home with us.  We fostered many dogs and cats over the years.  I grew up in a large family with a lot of pets!

2. How long did it take you to write Baron Thinks Dogs are People Too! ?

For me, the process of writing children’s stories is like having ‘puffy clouds’ of ideas constantly floating around in my mind.  Then when I focus my awareness with the intention to bring a story to life in the form of a book, it’s like the puffy clouds form into a funnel cloud that ‘touches down’ through me.  This rumination process is a perpetual part of my sub conscience.

 Word selection and cadence is very important to me, so I start with a draft of the story, and then ponder the words and movement carefully as I rewrite.  Sometimes, rewrites can take months.  Several kindergarten and preschool teachers, and their students previewed the story text for Baron, even before it was submitted to an editor.  Their feedback helped me write the best story.  This book took me about two weeks to write.

3. When and why did you decide you wanted to write a children’s book?

The exact moment I decided on making my dream of creating this book come true was when I held my newborn grandson for the first time.  I felt an incredible sense of legacy, like a spiritual connection from my ancestors was beaming through me.  I wanted to create a book my own grandchildren would revisit again and again.  A combination of life experiences and time spent pondering my heart’s desire gave rise to my urge, and sense of calling, to publish children’s books.

4. Can you tell us a bit about your road to publication?

So far, I have not had any major challenges in my career as a writer.  Nowadays, it’s much easier for a first time author to publish good quality children’s books.  Since there are so many wonderful books in circulation, the challenge is to get your book noticed by all of the people who would enjoy reading it!

For me, the entire process of having my book published came about through the use of the Internet.  It has totally helped me in my writing career.  I found the website of DragonPencil/Big Tent Books publishing services online, and used them for the entire process.  Now that my book is in print, I use the Internet for marketing and networking with other professionals in the book publishing industry.

5. What was your favorite childhood book?

My favorite book that I read as a kid was Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh, published in 1964.  Harriet loves to eat tomato sandwiches, and I do too!

6. I love quotes.  Do you have a favorite?

The only way to have a friend is to be one.  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. What are you reading right now?

Currently, I enjoy reading New Age books about affirming and manifesting my heart’s desires.

8. If you were trapped in the life of one fictional character, whom would you choose?

Tinker Bell.  It would be fun to fly around sprinkling magic pixie dust!

9. Are you working on another children’s book?  A follow-up to Baron?

I’ve written a series of stories about two imaginary friends I had when I was preschool age.  As for Baron’s future…his family may get a cat.  Baron thinks cats are cool!

9 in ’09 with Mary Doria Russell and book giveaway, part 1

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Mary Doria’s first novel The Sparrow and it’s sequel Children of God, combined to win 8 regional, national, and international awards.  She followed with two books of historical fiction, A Thread of Grace, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and Dreamers of the Day.  She holds a PhD in Paleanthropology and taught human gross anatomy at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry before becoming a full-time writer.

Mary is a wonderful speaker and you should take advantage of any opportunity to hear her.  Here‘s my post on a book signing I attended last year. Visit her website for more information, http://www.marydoriarussell.net/

I will be giving one lucky commenter his or her choice of one Mary Doria Russell title.  After reading part one of the interview leave a comment and you will be entered.  Come back tomorrow and comment on part 2 and earn a second entry.  Those who have gotten a correct answer in my Green Title Quiz have earned an extra entry and those who are winners in my upcoming quiz on Monday will also earn extra entries.  I will draw the winners on March 31st at noon.  I will ship anywhere.

Without further ado…

1. Dreamers of the Day takes place as the fate of the Middle East was being decided in 1921 and many historical figures play roles in the book. How true to the real players are the characters?

I did my level best to portray all the historical characters with accuracy. My goal with historical novels is never to contradict the facts, but to work with them and deepen the reader’s insight into personalities and events. I will sometimes fudge dates by a few weeks, to make a narrative work, but I really try to keep things as accurate as possible. I’m still an academic at heart.

2. The Sparrow is one of my favorite books and was optioned by Brad Pitt’s production company. What is the status on The Sparrow making it to the big screen?

 Producer Nick Wechsler called me at the end of February (2009) with an update. According to Nick, Mr. Pitt is passionate about getting the film made and “Brad’s been concentrating on doing his own treatment of the novel since finishing up with Benjamin Button and the Oscar hoopla.” The whole project could still evaporate, but it seems more likely now that it is the focus of Mr. Pitt’s attention.
3. Your historical novel, A Thread of Grace, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.  Can you tell us about your personal experience of becoming a nominee?
Well, as everybody says, it’s great honor to be nominated – a heartening validation of a writer’s skill and very nice recognition of a particular work.  It’s also the only thing that impresses people more than “Brad Pitt might do The Sparrow!”
To me, however, the most gratifying recognition is the email I get from families of veterans of the World War II Italian campaign.  These are notes from people whose parents served in the armed anti-fascist resistance, or in the German, Italian and Allied armed forces.  I also hear from children of Jewish refugees whose lives were saved by the Italians, as described in the book.
Veterans and survivors rarely talked about the occupation of Italy, and the novel fills in a lot of gaps for families because the silence of Claudia at the end of the story is typical.  Partly, it’s the difficulty of conveying political and strategic complexity in what is often a third or fourth language for he parent.  But it’s also very difficult to relive those emotions, and most people in the World War II generation believe such memories are better forgotten.
Of course, war trauma is never forgotten – it’s there, and the consequences echo down the generations.  It was my privilege to start a few conversations, even ones that are now posthumous.  The book seems to fill in gaps and connect dots for many in the second generation.
4. Your books must require so much research.  You invented a whole language for The Sparrow…
Two actually!
And Eight to Five, Against, I even ‘interviewed’ horses to get the personalities and capabilities of an intact quarter horse, an Arab mare and a gelded hunter-jumper right!
And since Doc Holliday went to dental school in 1871, I read all the issues of the professional journal Dental Cosmos between 1871 and 1878, so I’d be familiar with the instruments available to Doc and his patients.
This kind of research is just a joy to me.  I love love LOVE this stuff.
…and your two historicals are jammed full of information.  How much research do you do for each book?
Tonnage.  I mean: YEARS of research for each of them.  And I go deep on the main characters.  I need to know what they knew, and I also have to understand their parents’ lives and the kind of relationship they had with their parents.  I know more about Doc Holliday’s family than I do my own, and if I get started on him, I’ll go on forever, so I’ll tell you about the research on the Earp brothers, because I can shut up about them more easily.
I started with all the biographies, but I still didn’t believe I understood their family dynamic.  Just looking at the whole group – Newton, James, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan and Warren – I knew there was something going on at the home that nobody was writing about.  My guess was that they were beaten as children, but none of the biographers mention it.
Then I dug up a diary written in 1864 by a woman on a wagon train to California that was led by Nicholas Earp, the boys’ father, back when Wyatt was 15.  Sure enough, Nicholas was a mean, profane, violent sonofabitch.  The diarist gave example after example, and this was years before any of the Earps was famous, so I think it’s reliable.  It was a great validation of my developing insight into the brothers’ personalities and was of dealing with the world.
I’m also pretty certain Wyatt was dyslexic, based on descriptions of his attempts to read law, but Morgan was a reader, and that told me something about their relationship – Morg was four years younger, but he and Wyatt were extremely close.  So there’s Morg’s hero worship of his older brother Wyatt, while Wyatt was dependent on Morg’s help with letters and newspapers and so on.
And I’m becoming very fond of their older brother James, who was crippled during the Civil War.  Each of the boys has reacted differently to their father’s bullying, and James is the kind whose reaction is to remain gentle in a quiet existential defiance of the abusive parent.  He’s a remarkable guy…James was in every town where Wyatt served on the police force, but he’s almost unknown to history – I have a colleague digging out James’s war record  right now, to get a feel for where he’d been and the intensity of the fighting he saw.
to be continued tomorrow…

What Woman Am I?

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Megan topped the list with 3 correct!  Thanks for playing 🙂

It’s Women’s History Month, so see if you know these women authors.
Here’s how to play…Identify the author and leave a comment with the # and the name and I’ll cross it off the list. No Googling, that’s cheating and no fun!

1. I was a successful playwright and had a 30-year love affair with author Dashiell Hammett?  Lillian Hellman, Nicole

2. I was 21 when I finished the first version of my now popular novel. It was titled First Impressions. I rewrote it fourteen years later and changed the title using alliteration.  Jane Austen, Megan

3. I was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for Beloved.  Toni Morrison, Kathy

4. I was considered the first female poet in the American colonies. – ANNE BRADSTREET

5. I’m the British author who finished my most famous novel, translated to screen many times, at the age of 19 and died in 1851 at the age of 53 of a probable brain tumor.  Mary Shelley, Mark

6. I am the last woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction for my novel Interpreter of Maladies. Jhumpa Lahiri, Megan

7. We are noteworthy sisters who also wrote under the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. the Bronte sisters, ‘Nise  Does anyone know our names? Charlote, Emily, and…Anne

8. I am Chile born, but became a US citizen in 2003. I write in the magic realism tradition. A few of my novels are on Stacy’s Top 100 list 🙂  Isabel Allende, Nicole

9. I was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1921 with my novel about innocence.  Edith Wharton, Megan

10. I am the highest paid author in the world.  JK Rowling, Kathy

Most Notable Black Writers Quiz

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Here’s how to play…Identify the author and leave a comment with the # and the name and I’ll cross it off the list. No Googling, that’s cheating and no fun! 

1. She was born Marguerite Johnson and became the first woman San Francisco streetcar conductor, but she is well known for her poetry and especially the first volume in her autobiography about caged birds.  Maya Angelou, Mark

2. After his 20 year career in the Coast Guard he wrote a book about Roots and also an autobiography about someone else, let’s call him X.  Alex Haley, Kathy

3. He published only one novel during his lifetime (about a man who wasn’t there) and it won the National Book Award in 1953.  Ralph Ellison, Jason

4. He has written a series of best-selling mysteries featuring detective Easy Rawlins- played by Denzel Washington in the movie.  Walter Mosley

5. In 1937 she published her most famous book (about watching God), but because of money problems she was buried in an unmarked grave in Florida.  Zora Neale Hurston

6. He was the grandson of the first black American elected to public office in 1855 and his first published poem ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ was also his most famous.  Langston Hughes

7. When she was eight she lost the sight in one eye when one of her brothers shot her with a bb gun, but that didn’t stop her from winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1983 for a book about a color.  Alice Walker

8. He was a Pentecostal preacher when he was still a teen, but left the church when his writing began exploring sexuality; his novel about telling it on the mountain was semi-autobiographical.  James Baldwin

9. She was the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 and her novel  about a loved one won the Pulitzer in 1988.  Toni Morrison

10. He just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2004 in novel about a world we all know.  Edward P Jones

9 in ’09 with Rachel Hauck

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 This is my first of many (I hope) interviews with authors I enjoy.    Every Friday I’ll be asking 9 questions of an author gracious enough to answer them.  I reviewed Sweet Caroline last year (review here) and its author, Rachel Hauck, answered these 9 questions for me.  Thanks Rachel!  You can visit Rachel at her website, www.rachelhauck.com

Rachel Hauck is a best selling and award winning author. A graduate of Ohio State University, she lives in central Florida with her husband and pets. She is currently writing her twelfth novel.

1. I loved your book, Sweet Caroline.  What made you choose to set it in the South Carolina low country?

RH: To be honest, I looked at books set in the south and saw how well received lowcountry were and thought, why not set a book in South Carolina? But before that, a friend of ours wrote a worship song called Praise House. I asked where the idea came from and he showed my husband and I his home video of a spontaneous trip he and his wife took to Beaufort, South Carolina looking for a Gullah praise house. As soon as I saw his video, I knew I wanted to set a book there.

2. This YouTube clip promoting Love Starts With Elle is great.  Can you tell us how it was done and more about your Diet Coke addiction?

RH: Diet Coke addiction? What Diet Coke addiction. Okay, yeah, I do enjoy my daily Diet Coke. It’s my drink of choice rather than coffee. When I was in college, I was a Diet Pepsi fan, but several years ago while at my corp job, everyone drank Diet Coke like it was going out of style and I switched because several people had office mini-fridges stocked with Diet Coke. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Love Starts With Elle trailer came to me one night out of the blue. I wanted a book trailer, but they are all the same and I wanted to do something different. I thought, “What if I talk to Elle like she’s real?”

I called a good friend who used to work at Pixar. We agreed on the project and price, I wrote a script and we filmed it a few days later. It was fun and easy. Despite my bad hair day, it turned out well. 🙂

3. You attended Ohio State (Go Bucks!) and earned a degree in journalism.  What drew you to writing inspirational fiction as a career choice?

RH: Yes, Go Buckeyes! I always wanted to be a writer which was one reason I majored in Journalism. After graduating and working in the corp world for awhile, I thought about writing but knew the publishing road to be daunting. Finding an agent, etc.

In the early ’90s I started reading Christian fiction. I enjoyed the stories and liked the aspect of weaving in a spiritual theme if I wanted. On ’94, I started my first book, a WW2 epic. Excerpts from it made it in Love Starts With Elle.

I went to my first writers conference in ’97 where I began meeting people and learning about the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA.) In those days, you didn’t need an agent. A writer just submitted to the publishers, but even by the late ’90s, fiction was making huge strides.

I don’t think I purposefully set out to write Inspirational, it just came out of the books I was reading and the excitement I had in my heart over a life in God.

4. Do you have a local writing group or fellow writers that you look to for support and advice or is writing a solitary endeavor for you?

RH: Writing is always solitary. No way around it. But I do have a great support network. My brainstorming buddy and great friend, Susan May Warren, is a phone call away. She’s a fabulous and award-winning author who really helps me out when I’m stuck in the middle of writing. I do the same for her. We laugh about how clearly we see each other’s stories, but are so blind to our own.

My good friend and award winning Christine Lynxwiler also provides support. Many times, a writer needs someone just to listen to the struggle. And of course, if something good happens, they are the first ones I call.

I am a member of Romance Writers of America which has a local chapter. I attend monthly meetings with those writers and receive a lot of encouragement. I learn something every meeting.

And, I’m on the Advisory Board for American Christian Fiction Writers. Part of the organization is run by a member based email loop, so there’s always writers an email away. Such a great resource for all kinds of information.

Last, but not least, I’m a member of published author organization and we provide a lot of support to each other. I feel surrounded sometimes.

My husband and non-writer friends, and my family also provide support. They listen to me go on and on about a book issue. Bless them!

5. What was your favorite childhood book?

RH: I loved to read biographies, but far and above, The Little House books were my absolute favorite. I’ve read the entire series a dozen times.

6. I love quotes.  Do you have a favorite quote or scripture?

RH: I have one of each. My favorite quote is from Michael Jordan.

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

My favorite Scripture is Song of Solomon 4:9.

“You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride;
         You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes,
         With a single strand of your necklace.”

7. What are you reading right now?

RH: I just finished “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Next book, not sure yet.

8. If you were placed in the life of one fictional character who would you choose?

RH: Hmm, good question. Maybe Ebenezer Scrooge or Elizabeth Bennett of Pride and Prejudice fame.  Mostly to see what their world was really like. I’d like to see Ebenezer’s change and watch Elizabeth fall in love. 

9. And finally, what are you working on right now?

RH: I just finished a book with country artist Sara Evans. The book releases sometime this spring along with her new album. I’m excited about it. We’re doing several fiction books together. They are stories we made up. Nothing autobiographical.

Thanks Stacy! Great questions. I appreciate this opportunity!

Books by Rachel Hauck– Love Starts With Elle, Sweet Caroline, Diva NashVegas, Lost in NashVegas, Georgia On Her Mind, Lambert’s Peace, Lambert’s Pride, Lambert’s Code, New Hampshire Weddings, Windswept Weddings

Writers Lost in 2008 Quiz

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Thanks for playing!  Check back next Monday.  For my first quiz of 2009 I’ll be offering a small prize 🙂

Here’s how to play…Identify the author and leave a comment with the # and the name and I’ll cross it off the list. No Googling, that’s cheating and no fun!  These authors wrote their final chapters in 2008.

1. Once dubbed “The Queen of the American Gothics” she wrote more than 70 novels and died at age 104. – Phyllis Whitney died on 2/8/08

2. His second (and last) novel made TIME’s 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923-2005.  He committed suicide after suffering from depression for more than 20 years. – David Foster Wallace died 9/12/08

3. In 1994 he became the only artist to have a film, a television series (currently in its last season), and a novel all number one at once.  His first novel was released in 1966 under the pseudonym John Lange and in 1992 he made People’s Most Beautiful People list.  Michael Crichton died 11/4/08-  Elena

4. He was a mystery writer best known for his series about an investigative reporter, memorably played by Chevy Chase in the films.  He also won 2 Edgar Awards. – Gregory McDonald died 9/7/08

5. Nationally syndicated newspaper columnist who founded the National Review in 1955.  William Buckley Jr. died 2/28/08– Mark

6. She was the only child of a President who wrote biographies of both of her parents as well as a popular murder mystery series set in and around Washington DC.  Margaret Truman died 1/29/08–  Kathy

7. British author of the Flashman series.  George MacDonald Fraser

8. British science fiction writer and inventor.  He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994, but he is best known for his collaboration with Stanley Kubrick.  He emigrated to Sri Lanka in 1956 where he lived until his death.  Arthur C. Clarke died 3/19/08 – Mark

9. This novelist wrote more than 30 books, 18 of those in his Navajo series.  In World War II he earned  a Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.  Tony Hillerman died 10/26/08 – Don

10. American author, historian, actor and broadcaster who received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non Fiction in 1985 for The Good War.  He never learned to drive.  Studs Terkel died 10/31/08–  Dave

Highest Paid Authors

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The new Forbes just listed the world’s 10 best-paid authors (from July1, 2007 to June 30,2008 ).

1. JK Rowling – $300 million – I have nothing but the highest respect for her (and a special wizard named Harry).  Good for her.

2. James Patterson – $50 million – I’ve read several of his books this year.  I think he may be a bit overpaid, but hey, I’m sure that comes from jealousy.

3. Stephen King – $45 million – Good for him.  Well deserved!

4. Tom Clancy – $35 million – I’ve only ever read The Hunt for Red October, so okay.

5. Danielle Steel – $30 million – She writes the same book over and over and women love it.  If it ain’t broke…

6. John Grisham – $25 million – Seems about right since many of his books are made into movies.

7. Dean Koontz – $25 million – He deserves every penny.

8. Ken Follett – $20 million – Oh, the power of Oprah who chose Pillars of the Earth for her book club (and I reviewed it here).

9. Janet Evanovich – $17 million – I like her books and it’s nice to see another woman on this list.

10. Nicholas Sparks – $16 million – That’s why there was a four hour wait to meet him, Kathy 🙂

A few words from Philip Roth

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“A Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy till they die.”

“History… is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”

“I cannot and do not live in the world of discretion, not as a writer, anyway. I would prefer to, I assure you – it would make life easier. But discretion is, unfortunately, not for novelists.”

“The road to hell is paved with works-in-progress.”

“When you publish a book, it’s the world’s book. The world edits it.”